Workforces needed to provide health care for Aboriginal people

June 2023

Download Workforces needed to provide health care for Aboriginal people PDF

For Aboriginal people, workforces need to address a holistic view of health. Mainstream health services are built around a mainstream understanding of health.

The diagram below – an Aboriginal view of holistic health and its matching workforces – was developed by Yulang during our work on developing a model of care for the mental health and wellbeing care for Aboriginal people in conjunction with the NSW Ministry of Health (Williams & Ragg, 2022).

Figure 1: Workforces needed to provide health care for Aboriginal people

We started with the perspective developed by Aboriginal-Chinese psychologist Dr Graham Gee et al. (2014), and carried out repeated action research cycles with Aboriginal people working in health and mental health, particularly the NSW Aboriginal Mental Health Clinical Leadership Group.

Note that this workforce does not need to be employed by one institution. Ideally, it will be developed through partnerships between Aboriginal community controlled health organisations and mainstream health services, supported by local Aboriginal Elders, organisations and community, and mainstream individuals and organisations.

Recommended citation

Williams, M., Ragg, M., & Bulman, J. (2023). A holistic view of health. Yulang Indigenous Evaluation. https://yulang.com.au/starburst-indigenous-evaluations/workforces-needed/

References

Gee G, Dudgeon P, Schultz C, Hart A, and Kelly K (2014). ‘Social and Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health: An Aboriginal Perspective’. Chapter 4, in Dudgeon P, Milroy M, and Walker R(eds.) (2014). Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practice – revised edition. Canberra: Australian Government. p.55.

Williams, M., & Ragg, M. (2022). Aboriginal mental health and wellbeing model of care. NSW Ministry of Health, in press.